Musings on all things jazz!

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KEEP ON ROLLIN’

I cannot believe how wonderful this tour is going! Everyone is having such a wonderful time and everything is going so good I can’t believe it! Yesterday (Wednesday) was Day 5 and we spent it at Small’s for the most part…..at least I did. We ventured down to the cellar club in Greenwich Village in the terrible weather for a 3:00 show performed by owner SPIKE WILNER piano, JOE STRASSER drums, DWAYNE BURNO bass, RALPH LALAMA tenor sax and JOE MAGNARELLI trumpet. Spike brought in some sandwiches from a great deli and we sat and listened to 2 great sets of standards. It was a real thrill for me to sit in with the band for the second set. So much fun. From there everyone (with the exception of 10 of my biggest fans) went their own way. I played the evening set at Small’s with DAVID HAZELTINE piano, JOHN WEBBER bass and JOE STRASSER drums. It was a thrill and to have 10 of tour people come to the show was a real compliment! I felt great about the first set but then I kind of ran out of gas and lost focus for the second. It was fun nonetheless.

Today was spent in Harlem. First, a stop at the famed Apollo Theatre where tour guide Billy Mitchell led us through the theatre giving us an in depth history of it. He was absolutely hilarious. His best line of the day was “this little corner is where all the singers can get their me, me me on.” Love it! After the tour we went to a church cafeteria on the corner for some lunch before heading to The National Harlem Jazz Museum where we were treated to a wonderful history lesson on Harlem and the new designs on the museum to begin in a couple of years. Tajah Murdoch a dancer at the Apollo was also their talking about her career which absolutely fascinating. We were then treated to a solo piano concert by Johnathan Baptiste. After the museum we made the short hop of to Sylvia’s Soul Food Restaurant and we ate like you would not believe. Fried chicken, ribs, fish, red beans and rice, collard greens, corn-bread and banana pudding. A great capper on a great day. Its only 730 but I’m not sure I have anymore left in me!